Shadow of The Fox: Intriguing Book Club Questions

Mar 12
3 min read

One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.

Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.

There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll… at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.

With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.

Quick Review of Shadow of The Fox

This YA epic fantasy novel is saturated in Japanese culture and folklore. Those who love world-building can allow themselves to get swept away by that aspect of the story, but my favorite part is Yumeko. She’s just so beautifully guileless that you can’t help but love her.

Alert! Intriguing Discussion Ahead

I encourage book clubs to move beyond questions like, “What did you like/dislike about the book?” and “Who was your favorite character and why?” My discussion questions typically focus on ethical and moral dilemmas, book scenarios applied to real life, and character motivations.

Book Club Questions

Why do you think the book starts with Suki’s death even though she’s not a main player in the story?
How is Yumeko’s innocence/naivety both a strength and a weakness?
Daisuke seems to know something is wrong with Lady Satomi and her frequent need for new maids, but he doesn’t do anything about it. What determines whether you intervene in a situation that seems off?
Tanuki-baba tells Yumeko that “it is very hard to be human . . . Even the humans themselves don’t do a great job of it.” Why do you think this is? Tanuki-baba also claims that what humans value usually leads to “suffering and despair.” Do you agree?
How is the meaning of Yumeko’s name, “child of dreams,” fitting for her character?
Tatsumi notes, “To be kind, you have to drop your guard.” Do you think that’s true?
Yumeko and Okame have a conversation about when stray dogs will attack vs. protect a stranger. The following chapter, in which Okame turns on his bandit friends to save Yumeko, is called The Consequences of Crumbs. When have you seen this concept at work in real life?
The book features several people or animals who have become cursed or corrupted through greed or other flaws. Discuss why this concept/motif is important.
The kodama give Tatsumi a special leaf in gratitude for killing the demon bear and restoring balance to the forest. Though you may not have seen a nature spirit, how has nature shown its appreciation when you’ve cared for it?
Honor is a repeated concept in the book, particularly for Tatsumi, Okame, and Daisuke. What does it mean to each of them? What does it mean to you?
The cursed ghost monk says, “even in the face of cruelty, I should not have let my anger consume me so. [The village’s curse] has become my punishment, as well.” How does anger (even when seemingly justified) punish the angry person as much or more than the person at whom it’s directed?
Oni no Mikoto (Daisuke) tells Yumeko, “Those with no passion can never comprehend the drive for perfection.” Do you agree? Have you experienced this?
More than once, Yumeko saves the day through unique solutions, such as asking Oni no Mikoto to postpone his duel or creating an illusion of a rabbit to “tell the future” for the emperor. Discuss the situations in which her sideways approach succeeds over Tatsumi’s head-on approach and vice versa.

Below, you can download a PDF of the Shadow of The Fox discussion questions to print out and bring to your book club. I hope you have an intriguing discussion!

If you enjoyed these book club questions for Shadow of The Fox, sign up for Patrice Carey Hale’s newsletter to get book club recommendations, book updates, and special content.